Ford Motors, the second-largest carmaker in the US, yesterday issued a recall for around 575,000 Windstar vans in 21 cold-weather states of the US and Canada due to a potential axle problem that could affect vehicle handling.

Detroit-based Ford is voluntarily recalling older, high-mileage Windstar minivans produced between mid-1997 and early 2003 for rear axles problems.

The carmaker said that in a very small number of cases, the axles have fractured in certain locations on the right and/or left side due to corrosion, and affected vehicle handling.

The recall for the Windstar, no longer being produced, applies to vehicles in 21 states in the US and Canada where road salt corrosion is more common due to cold weather.

Ford said that it will notify affected owners in the very near future and ask them to bring their vehicles to their local dealers for inspection and any necessary repairs.

The recall for the vans are from Canada and Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia and Wisconsin.